Wish You Were Here
by DMarEssence
Summary: When Kokori gets stuck 'bonding' with Sai, she imagines she's in for a nightmare. He turns her world upside down until she finds herself realizing that sometimes love isn't always what you expect. Sai x OC


I Wish You Were Here: Sai x OC

Wow. I literally haven't posted anything in forever. Sorry 'bout that. Anywho, this was inspired by the Owl City song, _Vanilla Twilight. _Go listen to it. It's cute. Also please remember to review.

P.S. There are NO spoilers, this is just an in between missions type fic. Also, I haven't kept up with Naruto in a while, so I'll try to keep it as accurate as possible.

…

..

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_Sai stared out at the sky as the sun set over the village. Team seven had been on the outer recesses of the Fire Country for over three and a half weeks, and the longer he was away from Konoha, the more pain he felt in his chest. _

_It was indescribable. Something he'd never experienced before. But life was all about experiencing things, or so Sakura had told him… and it was true. Meeting new people was fun, but this feeling inside him was starting to become too much. _

_The purple haze that stretched across the sky flickered with the emergence of stars and made him realize he'd been staring at nothing for more than an hour. How had time passed so quickly without him realizing it? It had been happening more and more frequently, ever since he'd met _her_. _

_The colors of twilight reminded him of her eyes- deep violet in the light, but they could look almost dark blue at times. It was these insignificant details that kept his mind wandering away from the mission and to a more peaceful place. If he was going to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he missed her. That he was lonely without her. _

_Thankfully, Sakura's presence emerging from the house behind him provided a necessary distraction from his brooding. Sure they were heading back soon, but that just made the anticipation of seeing her again all the worse. _

N*I*N*J*A

"That guy is such a jerk!" Sakura squealed as a dark haired kunoichi accompanied her down Konoha's main drag towards the Hokage Tower. Kokori had graduated just a year ahead of Sakura from the academy, but they had remained close friends despite the age difference. Kokori remembered when she had been sent out on a mission during the time that Sasuke left. She'd been devastated for her friend.

And now there was this new guy to replace him. Three years later. Apparently, he was a jerk.

"He can't be that bad. More of a jerk than Sasuke?" Kokori added lightheartedly. Her pink-haired friend however, didn't find it as amusing. Her eyes became downcast and she wrung her hands as they walked.

"That's different…" Sakura trailed off. Kokori took the hint and dropped it, letting out a cough in the uncomfortable silence, tightening her forehead protector around her neck and giving her long black braid a flip over her shoulder.

"A-anyway, when do I get to meet him?" Kokori asked, hopping up and down in anticipation. She was curious as to see what her unshakeable best friend was riled up about.

"Never, if I had anything to say about it," Sakura growled, clenching her hand into a fist as she recalled her first, humiliating meeting with him. He'd insulted her to no end, that good for nothing, brain dead-

"Oi, Sakura." Kakashi waved his hand nonchalantly as he appeared in front of the two gossiping teenagers, earning him a growl from Sakura, who had had enough of Kakashi , as of late. They'd just returned from a long, horrible mission trying to identify Akatsuki, and she expected a little break. Plus, one simply did not interrupt a conversation between two teenage girls.

"I'm leaving Sai with you at the hospital today. I think after all we've been through, he needs to learn more bonding behavior-"

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei. Not gonna happen. I have duties at the hospital and he would only get in the way," the pink haired kunoichi explained, shrugging her shoulders in a finalizing gesture. There was no way she was going to get stuck with Sai.

"Oh, I see," Kakashi let out a fake sigh before his one visible eye rolled over to the girl standing beside Sakura.

Kokori took the bait.

"I'll do it sensei!" she volunteered, giving Sakura a victorious, self-satisfied smirk before following the silver haired jounin off to meet the mysterious Sai.

N*I*N*J*A

_Sai could still remember the first time he met Kokori. She'd been so excited to meet him and torture Sakura with the knowledge that she'd befriended him before her. Little did she know what a challenge it would turn out to be. _

_He was glad the mission they were on was finally over. Now all he wanted was for team seven to get a move on. As the rest of them slumbered inside the inn, he sat awake on the porch, gazing out into the night once more._

_He wasn't tired. As a matter of fact, he hadn't been tired since he'd learned they'd be going home soon. Every time he pictured Konoha, her face appeared. She was the home he wanted to return to. Home wasn't a place, he realized. It's a person. That's why you had to have people who were precious to you. Without them, you were lost. _

_He looked down at his hand as he thought this. Pulling one of his gloves off absentmindedly, he clenched his bare hand into a fist briefly before examining the pale flesh. Empty. Somehow it didn't feel right. A small smile tugged at his lips as it dawned on him. Her hand belonged there, her fingers laced with his. But his mind didn't linger on it for too long, otherwise the ache settled back in._

_

* * *

_

It had already been two days. Two days of _bonding hell_. Sai tailed behind Kokori like a stray dog she just couldn't get rid of, and no matter how many times she tried to lose him, he wouldn't be shaken.

Kokori had taken up a minor solo mission delivering messages back and forth between the Hokage's office and an outpost just a few miles away while they sorted out their remote message system, and it was turning out to be a welcome distraction. At least when she thought about that, her mind wouldn't be buzzing with his obnoxious, futile attempts at socialization.

"Have you decided on a nickname for me yet, Koko-chan?" the emotionless ninja asked as the pair walked through Konoha. Kokori clutched the next message in her fist before growling somewhat to herself:

"How about seppuku? 'Cause right now, I am seriously considering suicide."

"What was that Koko-chan?" the dark haired girl cringed as the nickname he'd chosen for her reverberated down her spine. She hated that name. It was Kokori, Kori or nothing at all. He really was a pain in the ass. She couldn't believe she'd been tricked into this.

"Sharingan Kakashi will die," she promised.

And it didn't help that he was so undeniably attractive. She always had thought she'd fall for one of those aloof, mysterious, epitome of ninja masculinity type guys. But she now realized why the feelings Sakura harbored for Sasuke died out pretty quickly after she'd gotten to know him. Falling for that type was just… unrealistic.

But he was so cute.

"Alright, we've got the new message. Back to the outpost," Kokori informed her charge, swinging a kunai around her finger as they made their way towards the east gate. The streets of Konoha were fairly busy during this time of day, but even through such a crowd, the girl could still make out a familiar orange jump-suit.

"Koko-chan! What's up?" Naruto asked excitedly. Since they'd gotten back, he'd gone straight into nature manipulation techniques with Kakashi and Captain Yamato, and Kokori was glad for it. For some reason, he'd picked up that horrible nickname as well. She could feel her eye twitch.

"Koko-chan? Koko-chan? Hey, weirdo, what'd you do to her-"

"STOP calling me that name!" She hissed, taking up Naruto's jacket in her fist and pulling his face dangerously close to hers, making sure the blonde loudmouth could read the seriousness in her expression.

Naruto looked from the angry kunoichi before him, then back to Sai who merely gave a fake smile and patted his tour-guide on the shoulder.

"Koko-chan, this isn't how friends should be treated," he scolded her.

"As if you know what friends do," she snapped over her shoulder.

Kokori let out a growl before reluctantly releasing Naruto who, now that he was free, took the chance to poke fun at Sakura's best friend. Although she'd graduated early, she'd hung out with Sakura enough for him to get to know the dark haired girl pretty well. Needless to say, he respected her skills as a shinobi as much as he respected Sakura. But unlike Sakura, he knew she wouldn't actually hurt him.

"Oh I see. Only _Sai_ gets to call you that," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Kokori cringed and shuddered at the implication before making a hasty exit to avoid further embarrassment. She grabbed Sai sharply by the wrist, brushed hastily past Naruto and ran full speed towards the gate. It was only until she was beyond the safety of the walls that she stopped.

All the pent up frustration of having to bond with this guy was really getting to her.

"Why am I the only person you let call you by that name?" Sai asked curiously, coming up beside the huffing kunoichi and glancing down into her flushed face. He noticed their hands were still linked, but said nothing.

_Sai would never have admitted it, but even back then, it felt good, to hold her, any part of her. _

"I-I don't **let **you! You just do it!" She said, slightly exasperated. "Even if I asked you to stop, you still would," she explained, before glancing down at the warmth she felt in her hand. He was holding it. He was touching her. She tried not to be fascinated by the feeling, but after a millisecond of examination, she ripped hers away and clutched it to her chest muttering 'pervert' under her breath.

"How do you know I wouldn't stop? You've never tried asking," he retorted, his pale face remaining an emotionless mask. Kokori couldn't help but stare. It was true. She'd never asked him to stop but had made the well founded assumption that he'd be contrary, as usual, and do whatever he wanted in order to feel more 'bonded' with her. She supposed he'd probably learned it from Naruto and Sakura, a relationship built on teasing and name-calling.

"Alright fine. Sai, please, **please** don't call me Koko-chan-"

"Ah, how sweet Koko-chan!" a sinister voice rang out from overhead, and the two Konoha shinobi were caught off guard by the presence of some forest thieves standing overhead.

"No doubt wanting to intercept the messages." Kokori momentarily caught Sai's gaze before he gave her a signature smile. It made her feel a little cold on the inside to see him doing such a thing with a fight so imminent, but she knew he probably had no other way to react to her apprehension.

"Just hand over those scrolls and we'll leave you and your pretty boyfriend alone," the old leader gave her a lascivious grin before he and the other seven thieves descended. Kokori flipped her black braid over her shoulder to keep it out of the way of her seals, before creating a clone and easily dispatching two of the bandits. Sai took out another three singlehandedly with his painted creations. She glanced away from her fight with the thief leader to watch him battle. He really had quite the elegant style.

"Eyes on me, Koko-chan," the thief king shouted before nailing a shuriken at point blank, straight into her left shoulder. Kokori let out a gasp from shock more than pain; the fact that this low level ninja loser even landed a hit on her made her angry, not to mention he'd used that despicable nickname-

"You're finished," she heard Sai declare unsympathetically before the leader was enveloped in the dangerous black ink of Sai's jutsu and left a quaking mass of disgrace on the forest floor. Meanwhile, Kokori fell to her knees and stared blankly at Sai, who stood before her, his hands on his slim hips.

"How annoying. **I'm **the only one who gets to call you that." Kokori couldn't believe it. She'd gotten distracted by the mere sight of him, and it had even gone so far that he'd had to **save **her. She blushed before wobbling to her feet, the metal throwing star still embedded in her shoulder. Sai was beside her in a flash, gently touching the wound to assess its seriousness before turning to head back towards the village.

"We can't go back yet. Let's deliver this message. I'll be fine 'til then," she spoke trying to keep her voice level as the pain twinged unyieldingly in her shoulder. She'd had worse injuries before, but no matter how many times you get stabbed, cut, burned or bruised, it all pretty much hurt like hell.

Plus it was all her fault. She'd hate to have to explain to the Hokage why she'd failed the mission; brought down by a worthless low-life because she was distracted by her partner's utter hotness and finesse. Not a good excuse.

"A friend wouldn't let a friend continue a mission injured-" Sai began, his black, depthless eyes zeroing in on her own, wavering violet ones.

"You _are_ a good friend Sai, but friends also have to trust each other, and I need you to trust me on this," she explained, gently pulling the weapon out of her shoulder in one jerk and placing her emergency gauze and tape over it, effectively preventing further bleeding out. At least for the time being.

_Did she… just call me a good friend? _Sai was frozen in place as the words sunk in. Sure he used the word 'friend' pretty loosely, but from what he'd observed of Kokori, she was very selective about how she referred to him. But now, he was her friend?

"Let's go. We lost some time, but we'll be back in Konoha before sunset." With a wave of her hand to beckon him forward, Sai followed his new friend down the path to the outpost, hoping nothing else would interrupt the otherwise routine mission.

"This mission is quite curious. Normally this type of work is for carrier pigeons and other animals of lesser intelligence," Sai commented, as the outpost came into view just a few hours later.

"How kind of you to mention it, but I'm sure you failed to notice that these are summoning scrolls, and are therefore too valuable to have animals escort," she quipped back at Sai. She was _pretty _sure he hadn't meant anything derogatory, but it still felt condescending.

"Ah, my mistake," he said, turning to her with a smile. "But I'm sure _you've _failed to notice that the message tower is back up, and therefore, this whole mission was completely pointless." Kokori tried not to let her anger seep into her expression as she looked up and realized the transmission tower was once again up and running.

"A little heads up would've been nice," she muttered, placing a hand on her oozing shoulder and giving Sai a defeated glance. "You were right. We should've turned back. Let's go. Ugh, Tsunade-sama is gonna kill me for this," she whined, noticing as more and more blood leaked from her wound. This was not going to be pretty.

Kokori didn't remember the trip back to the village very well, the constant reminder of her failure seeping through the bandage and onto her fingers was plenty to focus on. When they arrived at Konoha General Hospital, Sakura had given Sai a dirty look.

"Why didn't you bring her here immediately? She's gonna need surgery to stop the bleeding!" the pink haired nin continued to glare at her teammate until Kokori placed an arm on her friend's threatening fist.

"It's not Sai's fault. I told him I wasn't going back until we'd completed the mission," the black haired kunoichi informed her friend, as she rested back on the pillows of the hospital bed before the operation. After, Sakura had filled out the forms and submitted them to the head healer on duty, Sai and Kokori were left alone in the room.

Considering the small nature of the wound, they were letting the morphine slowly put her to sleep so that they could handle another major surgery before hers, however the pain was still irritating.

"Sadistic creeps. Why'd they have to move the button?" In preparation for surgery, Kokori had had her injured arm strapped to the bed, the other reaching out fruitlessly to grasp the remote that would get rid of the pain entirely, and possibly leave her feeling loopier than she already was.

Before she even noticed, Sai had stood up and placed the smooth, plastic device in her hand. She looked up at him with an appreciative gaze before he sat down beside her once more. She clicked the button up to the maximum amount before letting out a comforted sigh.

"Thanks," she purred as she rested her head back. Her vision swam with a myriad of colors and shapes, but one figure kept making its way to the forefront of her mind. "Mmm, Sai," she whispered again, more to herself than him, but he couldn't help his face heating up from her tone. He'd never heard it said so… endearingly.

Kokori's violet eyes shuttered closed and she reached out her hand to grab his. She missed entirely and found her hand splayed across Sai's bare stomach. The muscles underneath constricted at the contact. Her hand felt even warmer now than earlier when he was holding it, and it was all he could do to keep from grabbing it again. The feelings she was stirring just below her fingertips were… distracting to say the least.

"You're warm," she whispered, as if reading his thoughts.

Kokori's fingers traced lazy shapes over Sai's stomach until _finally_ her hand fell unmoving on his thigh. Sai's face was completely flushed as he attempted to rein in his emotions. His heart beat was slightly erratic and his hand was shaking as he placed hers gently back up on the bed beside the rest of her body.

Sakura glanced into the room through the viewing window behind Sai and Kokori's heads to check in on the progress the two were making in 'bonding.' She couldn't help but suppress a giggle when Sai had no idea how to respond to her friend's drug induced advances. Well, it was good to get him exposed to such things, she mused silently. Tapping her clipboard against her knee, she thought it was time to go get her friend for surgery.

N*I*N*J*A

"_Sai! Wait up!" Naruto called out from behind his racing teammate, whose mind seemed to be in another world entirely. "What's got a fire lit under his ass lately?" the blonde asked Sakura and Yamato who were keeping pace. _

"_He's probably got a hot date tonight," Sakura laughed nudging Naruto in the ribs. It took him a moment to realize who she was talking about. _

"_Eh? With Koko-chan?" The words barely left Naruto's mouth before he found himself coming to a slamming halt. Sai looked over his shoulder at the blonde who had unceremoniously crashed into him and narrowed his black, emotionless gaze. _

"_Only __**I **__get to call her that."_

_The rest of the trip continued in remote silence, although Sakura gave their newest teammate a knowing smile. He really had come a long way these past months. And it was all thanks to her._

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-taichou! We can't stop training now!" Naruto was exasperated. He'd been working on chakra and nature manipulation for weeks without a break, and the toll was being taken not on the student, but the teachers instead. Yamato looked as though his arms might fall off from keeping the jutsu to restrain the kyuubi going nonstop all this time.

"You need to relax. Maybe some time away from the task will give you better insight," Kakashi began before his enthusiastic student interrupted.

"Like a mission? Alright! Let's kick some Akatsuki butt!" Yamato looked hopelessly at his senpai before they both shook their heads simultaneously.

"Not exactly."

"Why'd we get this lame C class mission? Any dumb ninja could do this!"

"Then it will be perfect for you, Naruto-kun." Naruto's gaze narrowed in on Sai, who sat looking just a bit self-satisfied with his joke while the rest of his team plus Yamato and Kokori laughed.

All though the mission was C ranked and simple enough, it was a fairly time-consuming one having to do with inspections on the outer reaches of the Fire Country. Kokori was excited to spend time away from Konoha with her new… well, she didn't really know what to call Sai. They'd never really said the proper words to solidify a typically thought of relationship, however, the feelings were true enough.

On the way back to Sai's apartment to pack, Kokori felt bold. She reached out and brushed her fingers delicately against Sai's. The gentle touch didn't go unnoticed. His dark eyes glanced at her curiously before she took the caress a step further and linked her fingers with his. They were holding hands. In public. Sai fought off a blush while she bit back a smile.

The mood _in _the apartment however, was quite different.

"You're not coming on this mission," Sai informed her as they stood in his apartment and packed for the journey. Kokori crossed her arms dejectedly, feeling slightly taken-aback.

"And why is that? I wanted to spend time with you." She whined, taking a seat on his bed before giving him a pout. Her black hair was loose from its braided confines and lay in luscious waves down her back, ones that made Sai want to reach out and touch. But he'd read somewhere long ago that when you're giving demands, you can't give mixed messages. Laying her out on his bed and running his fingers through her hair would definitely be a mixed message.

"Last time we went on a mission, you got stabbed by a skill-less low-life. If I had it my way, you'd never go on a mission again, but-"

"Whoa, that's harsh," she interrupted, re-tying her forehead protector around her neck and continuing to be indignant.

"I've already told Kakashi-sensei that you feel ill and won't be joining us. I'll be happy to see you when I get back."

Kokori's violet gaze widened and she sat on the bed dumbfounded by his response. It was like he'd totally reverted to old Sai. However, the feelings roiling inside her were nothing compared with the one's her significant other was wrestling with inside himself.

Sai wasn't really good at dealing with emotions. Even though he'd come a long way from when he first arrived in Konoha, he still felt like he wasn't the ideal boyfriend he wanted to be for Kokori. He read numerous books on relationships, much to her dismay, but they were still doing alright. Except when things like this popped up. He hated that he loved her. And he hated that she didn't understand that he had to leave her there, for his own peace of mind.

Before Kokori even had time to register what had occurred, he already had his back to her, with one foot out the bedroom door.

"What? You're just gonna leave without even talking about it?"

"In my eyes, there's nothing to discuss." He turned on her with a cold look in his eye.

"Sai, wait!"

The slamming of the bedroom door left Kokori in an eerie, reverberating silence, alone with her own thoughts and unspoken protests.

Kokori felt anger boiling inside her, but didn't really blame Sai. As confused as she was, she knew he was ten times worse off.

The mission wasn't even until tomorrow. She wondered if she maybe stayed in his house all night, if he would return.

He didn't.

Kokori lay down in his bed and pulled his pillow to her. She smiled as she leaned down and buried her face in the soft fabric, laced with his scent. Somehow, when she pictured him lying next to her, she didn't feel so alone.

"Gah, where is she anyway?" Naruto complained, rocking back and forth on his heels as team seven prepared to leave on their recuperating mission. The sun had barely risen over Hokage Mountain when the group had gathered, and there was a slight chill in the air. Kakashi's breath came out in puffs of steam as he spoke.

"Kokori isn't coming. She just wanted to see us off-"

"I don't think that's necessary," Sai interrupted the grey haired jounin and sent his other teammates his usual, emotionless smile. When he put on his usual, uncaring façade, the pain of realizing that she might not show up at all hurt just a little less, or at least, it kept the pain from showing on his face.

"And what, might I ask is unnecessary?" The spunky dark haired girl appeared before the group with a large scarf full of provisions, and another smaller one she concealed behind her back.

"Arigatou, Kokori-chan," Kakashi gave her a nod as he slipped the food into his knapsack.

Sai, however, eyed her warily as she came to him second. The pouty look from the other night turned to one of slight indifference. Clearly, she was still mad. She held out the second scarf wrapped package stiffly and waited for him to accept it. He glanced over her shoulder and noticed that his team was moving out, but it seemed like she wasn't going to let him go 'til he took it from her.

Gingerly, he took the parcel in his gloved hands and glanced up to make eye contact with her.

"What is it?"

She blinked. Did he seriously not know a bento when he saw one?

"I didn't want you to be hungry," she mumbled, trying to look as casual as possible as she imagined Sai's gaze scrutinizing the gift she'd given him.

"Arigatou, Koko-chan," he said in his characteristically honey-coated way. She crossed her arms at the distance he was once again putting between them with his dispassion.

"Go. They're leaving." Sai caught her tormented gaze once more and felt a familiar twinge of loneliness worm its way into his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was go and leave her like this. Leave things like that between them.

"Go." It didn't help that she encouraged him with a mirror of his own falsely reassuring smile. But he did as she instructed and flitted out of the gates, package in hand.

When he'd caught up, the only person who hadn't realized something was amiss was Naruto. Sai was hard to read, but his silence was unusual, and his distracted, downward gaze was an obvious giveaway from his normal attentiveness. Sakura sighed inwardly as she recalled the tension between her friend and teammate at the gates. She hoped whatever damage she presumed Sai had caused would not be a permanent rift, for both their sakes.

N*I*N*J*A

_When the gates of Konoha came into view, Sai found he was holding his breath. Would she be there, waiting, just as he'd left her? _

_Sakura was on edge as well. Three weeks was a long time for a little seed of anger and resentment to grow into a full-fledged grudge, and while Kokori wasn't really the type, her and Sai's relationship was still young and unpredictable. While she'd be sad if the two ceased their affections, she wouldn't really be surprised. They'd tried to make it work and that was all that mattered. _

_Sakura barely had time to register her thoughts before she spotted a lone figure waving them in at the gates. _

Tsunade must've told her about our arrival, _Kakashi thought as Kokori's features became more and more pronounced the closer they go. Dressed in jeans, a black tee, with her hair loose and her forehead protector around her neck, Kokori obviously had taken the day off to see them home. When the team finally came to a stop, Sai thought his lungs were about to burst. She looked just as excited (and beautiful) as the day they'd met, however this time, he wouldn't let her be disappointed in him, in what he was. He reached forward with a decisive grip and pulled the dark haired kunoichi flush against his chest in an intimate embrace. _

_The rest of team seven stared bewildered. Kokori was a little bewildered herself. But she couldn't deny herself of his touch any longer and returned the hug, wrapping her arms around his back and pressing herself to him. They had only known each other a few months, a good deal of which was spent hundreds of miles apart, and still her desire felt stronger than ever. It would take a little longer for her to fully open herself to him, and probably even longer for Sai to open himself to her, but she would wait. _

_For now though…_

"_You're embarrassing me," Kokori said slightly flustered as she pulled away and righted herself, her face bright pink from the outward, unrestrained affection Sai had sprung on her. Sure she was all lovey-dovey and a romantic on the inside, but on the outside, she was still a feared kunoichi with a reputation to uphold. Plus, the stares of her fellow shinobi were starting to bore down on her. _

"_Sorry Koko-chan. It's just that, from the sound of your note, you were very-" Sai began to withdraw a small laminated paper from his pocket that he'd found nestled away in the bento Kokori had packed him, and was about to read its contents when the writer of said note jumped forward and pressed a hand over his mouth. She sighed when she realized she'd succeeded in halting the onslaught of humiliating longing she'd written for the eyes of only one person. _

"_That's private," Kokori hissed as team seven took the hint and began to disperse. She waved goodbye to them after releasing Sai and stared him down, her violet eyes hard with unresolved emotional conflict. Once the coast was clear, he noticed a visible shift in the girl before him. The tension seemed to leave her beautiful features, and her eyes immediately became soft, her gaze full of longing. _

"_Sai." The word fell from her lips in a soft sigh as she reached forward initiating a second embrace herself. This time however, there was no hesitation on her part, and her hands fisted in the material in the back of his shirt as she held him. "You're so warm," she whispered as she pressed her cheek against his chest. She wouldn't have changed that moment for anything in the world. _

_The emotionless shinobi smiled before his arms wrapped around her likewise and his fingers found themselves laced in those strands of luscious, loose, hair the color of midnight that he'd longed to touch all those weeks ago. _

_The ache in his chest was finally gone, and when they parted, he looked down on her and realized he was where he belonged. By her side, always. While Sai had never really been the spontaneous type, he couldn't help indulging himself in that one moment. He had to see what it was like._

… _a kiss. _

_His lips caressed hers for the briefest of moments before he pulled away. It was so quick, Kokori thought she'd imagined it. _

"_Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know," she told him, a mischievous glint in her eye. Resting her hand against the back of his neck, she guided his face back towards hers and found his lips once again, this time longer, stronger and she did her best to let him know how she felt for him in that one simple action. _

_Sai was relieved to know how she finally felt after all that time filled with uncertainty. On the day he'd left, he'd had questions about his own feelings that were all so new to him, but the postcard she'd tucked into the package she'd given him on the first day had cleared away any doubts. The trip had seemed so long, knowing that she was in the village waiting for him. But now she was back in his arms. _

_When she pulled away for the final time, Kokori gave him the cutest smile he'd ever seen. Sure, those last few moments were a bit out of character, for the both of them, but they would only go forward from there, Sai was sure. On the way back to his apartment, he reached out and felt the familiar sensation of her small, lithe fingers entwined with his. _

N*I*N*J*A

"Hey, hey, hey Sai! What did she pack you?" Sai barely restrained an eye twitch as he began to unwrap the scarf from his bento as team seven halted for a break on their way to the first village. Naruto was much too far in his personal space for his comfort.

"Naruto," Sakura growled at the blonde before shooing him away from the young, dark haired shinobi. As the fabric fell away from the onigiri and croquettes, he noticed something underneath the packaging. A shiny, firm piece of paper with a snapshot of the village, slightly crumpled from the wear and tear of traveling caught his eye.

The item seemed trivial enough. He'd seen postcards like this in souvenir shops on Konoha's main drag, but the writing on the back changed everything.

_Sai,_

_Be safe on your journey, and know that even though we're far apart, I'll be thinking of you._

_But I'm still mad. Don't forget that._

_Love,  
Koko-chan_

_P.S. I wish you were here_

_…with me _

_

* * *

_

For those of you who don't know Japanese or who watch Naruto in English (cringe):  
shinobi: a fancy word for ninja  
kunoichi: a fancy word for female ninja  
seppuku: Japanese ritual suicide  
-chan suffix/honorific: used for little kids, family (girls) and girls who you're close to

Inspiration is such a bitch! I haven't written anything in months, and this comes to me in two days! Yeah! I feel so bad not updating more, but oh well. I just started re-watching Naruto Shippuden, so the inspiration came to me. I 3 Naruto!

Please review! My birthday is next week, and it'd be really great to get some reviews!

~DMarEssence


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